Author: Ross Eaton

After purchasing my copy of Masks Unbound and taking a look at the playbooks, something struck me about the Nomad. Their “Putting Down Roots” feature might make for the basis of another good feature for a custom playbook. I’m thinking along the lines of the Empowered character Thug Boy again, but moreso of a superheroic variant of McCauley from Heat.

A hero whose inner struggle involves them being on the run from someone or something that will be their end if caught, and has to make a decision by the end to either stand and fight or skip town once again the moment they feel the heat around the corner.

I’m still struggling with a name for this feature, and a proper name for the playbook… the Runaway, maybe? Fugitive?

Having been introduced to the goofy brawler “God Hand” recently, I realized that main character Gene plays a lot like the Bull: consummate fighter with a small circle of meaningful relationships.

But this got me thinking… I figured the Bull plays best with a demeanor of either abrasive gruffness or stoic detatchment with most people outside of the Love and Rival. I wonder if the Bull can even function with the goofball action hero persona that characters like RE4 Leon, DMC1 Dante, Gene, and the rest of the early 00s Capcom stable make use of?

Thoughts, anyone?

Just bought my copy of Secrets of AEGIS! uncontrollable Kermit-flail

…Erm. Anyway.

Really pleasing stuff. The playbooks, the new material on some of the coolest villains, the delightful potential of AEGIS’s moral relativity to create cool stories…

But what surprised me most was the idea of the Suits, and how it connects to a minor character mentioned in the MPDG file: the Grinning Man. I just watched Bedtime Stories’ episode on this mysterious entity, and have to wonder if he and the Suits are connected at all. Mayhaps Indrid Cold is one of the rare Suits who found a willing host without AEGIS’s help? Does this mean that the Mothman is also around in the Halcyon universe? Does the Grinning Man share the Suits’ goals? Are they allies? The possibilities make me giddy!

Hello everyone! I’m in need of some advice regarding another possible character and how to play them.

I’ll keep it brief on the details. Davey Prendergast, aka Fogchild, is a Janus of supernatural origins. He can manifest ectoplasm in the form of tendrils (web generation) and use them for making basic objects, grapple ropes, weapons, and has been practicing with certain divining powers (supernatural senses).

More to the character parts, I wanted to give the best effect of the Dangerous Web move–cribbing a phrase from JoJo by announcing how he saw his foe’s move coming and planned accordingly. (And like JoJo, it’s mostly BS.)

My question is whether Fogchild’s Mask label would be better served by Freak or Superior. Spooky effects with ghost fog lean one way, but the bravado and cunning lean another.

(Also, I’m thinking Ghostheart from the Deck of Villainy might want Davey dead more than most people…)

Another idea to float past the fellows. Out of the listed abilities for the Nova, I’m surprised that one of those isn’t weather control. A power that, the more I think about it, is made for the concept.

Like the Nova abilities, weather powers are incredibly open ended and limited only by imagination. Jojo’s Stone Ocean arc features a character that makes other weather masters seem like amateurs, even if some uses stretch it a bit.

Furthermore, and more importantly, weather powers are the stuff of horror stories for uncontrollable mayhem. There are so many variables in play to make weather function that creating desired effects is downright miraculous.

Probably just out of room on the playbook, but yeah. Nova controlling weather seems like a great basis for a character.

Another series of thoughts about GM interpretation. I’m in love with the Deck of Villainy and the characters featured in it. As well as how many different ways that the characters can be portrayed.

Specifically, I want to highlight Satin. One of their major abilities is complete body control, which gets a custom move, “Evade an attack with uncanny grace.” How would you interpret the move? Does Satin simply bob and weave around attacks? Or does their body contort in inhuman and disturbing ways that put elastic heroes off?

Another “spirit of the playbook” question here. I’m considering making a Janus with the ability to shapechange into a dinosaur, opting for a set of powers that are restricted to an alternate form. What I’m wondering is if this is too far outside the realm of what the Janus is supposed to be.

On the one hand, there’s plenty of teen heroes to fit the bill without an actual mask to wear–Danny Phantom and Sailor Moon come to mind.

On the other, I can’t help but wonder how certain aspects of the Janus would function. Would the completely different form make others not even consider a secret identity? Does the Moment of Truth belie a literal unmasking or just an outing of the person behind the mask?

Or am I just thinking too hard about this exercise in creating a hybrid between Diego Brando and Old Lace from the Runaways?

Another possible concept here. A while back, I asked about the viability of using Masks or a similar game to run an Empowered story. It was apparent to all the veterans here that it didn’t gel, but I do still have ideas regarding the characters.

Firstly, Thug Boy–a younger version–would make for an interesting take on the Reformed. Not quite an ex-villain, but a former anti-super terrorist now connected to the team by a relationship. The existence of the Hatchlings from the HCHC seems like a great basis for a normal person with superhuman weapons and tactics. My primary question is who would make for good contacts.

Thoughts?

The Supernatural Handbook from Mutants and Masterminds has a player archetype that gives me an interesting idea for a Masks game. What if the Innocent’s future self isn’t a supervillain, but a hero that took a turn for the paranoid and left public life to pursue an enemy they refuse to tell anyone about?

The archetype from M&M makes this adversary a supernatural menace, but I guess a shadow cabinet or secret nebulous organization along the lines of the Light from Young Justice might work as well.

Any thoughts?

I’ve been thinking a lot about how this game would run with certain comics I read, and I wanted to discuss the possibility of a Masks campaign for Adam Warren’s Empowered. (My fave book coming out these days. Read it. Just not in public.)

Granted, Emp and most of her associates are 20-somethings rather than teens, but the themes of defining oneself by other’s perceptions, not belonging to the establishment, and growing into the person you want to be are all there.

Emp herself certainly qualifies as a Beacon. Sistah Spooky is a Doomed. Beyond that, it’s a little murky. Thug Boy and Ninjette have elements of the Delinquent, the Reformed, and the Bull. And any of the given antagonists–hero and villain–would be marvelous in the Masks system.

Any fellow fans? Thoughts?